Meet John Bergstrom 
                                                            
                                                 Music OutWest Presents
                                           John Bergstrom & Tony Vice
                                                 July 1, 5:00 -8:00 p.m.
                                              First Thursday Art Walk
                                   Kick off July 4th Holiday Weekend
                                        For your listening enjoyment!
       Meet and mingle with artists, musicians, authors in Old Town
        Newhall, Main Street, between Market and 6th Streets
                                                               AND
                                       Sunday, July 4, 8:00 a.m.
                         Fourth of July Parade  begins at 9:00 a.m.                   

                                         John Bergstrom's Biography

John Bergstrom is a performer of both traditional and original music from and about the West.  Since joining the Western Music Association, he has released his debut CD, "Western State O' Mind," and recently released his second CD, "Throw Down the Box."  John has performed at a variety of events including: festivals, coffee shops, restaurants, community fund raising events, and local radio shows. Western music is fun for the whole family.  Invite some friends over and host a concert in your home.  Contact OutWest's Purveyor of Music for details!

Here are some comments from John about his music:
I'm a child of the West...the far West...Los Angeles. I'm a city kid who has always loved the open spaces. I was raised on cowboy movies and western displays at museums wherever I could find them. I've been involved with music all of my life and have touched Western Music at various times. It's been these last four years, however, in which I focused on this form of traditional music to the exclusion of others. 

My first CD, Western State O'Mind, features an engaging combination of original and traditional songs. "Tiburcio Vasuquez" was  a real Californio bandito in the mid 1800s. His most famous exploits happened in what's now the northern part of Los Angeles County up to Monterrey County. He viewed himself a revolutionary according to most sources I read. This colorful figure needed a song.

The poem "1876" comes from a remarkable and important year in U.S. History. A bunch of events took place in the year of our national centennial.

"Western State O'Mind," the title song for this project reflects my pleasure at driving through the Southwest. Yes, I was driving East, but I was still hunting my Western State of Mind.

The growth of Los Angeles has always been fueled by the need of water. The "St. Francis Dam" north of L.A. was intended to save several months of water supply for the city. When the dam collapsed, about 500 people died.

Colonel Goodnight's cattle trail through west Texas ran close to the home of my wife's family in Childress. I've always through it a neat thing to be connected to a piece of history. Hence, "Springtime in Texas."

T.C. Schnebly is credited with founding Sedona, Arizona. We should all be grateful that it isn't named Schneblyville. It was a wise thing to name the new town after his wife, Sedona. This beautiful area has a colorful history in the "Red Rocks of Sedona."

"Latchkey Cowboy" celebrates my childhood watching my heroes on TV. If you're a baby boomer enough, you might relate.

Finally, "Cowboy Waltz" tells my appreciation for the Cowboy Way. If we don't watch out, we might lose it.

Note from our Purveyor of Music:
John participates in two WMA (Western Music Association) local jam sessions. If you live in the Los Angeles area catch him at the monthly jam session held the third Sunday of every month at the Autry National Center. If his touring schedule allows, you'll find him the 1st and 3rd Wednesday at El Trocadero Restaurant in Old Town Newhall from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Great food, great beverages, and entertaining music! Join us there!

                  John Bergstrom and OutWest Live on the Radio!

We were on Santa Clarita's Home Town Station Sat. September, 19, 2009 from 9:00 to 10 am PST for an hour of Western fun.  OutWest's Purveyors, Jim and Bobbi Jean Bell were  the guests of host Nancy Zhe, Around the Barn with Heads Up Therapy on Horseback on KHTS 1220 AM. Western musician and songwriter, John Bergstrom was with us. Listeners enjoyed a phone-in interview with good friend, Petrine Day Mitchum author of  Hollywood Hoofbeats: Trails Blazed Across the Silver Screen.  Later, Petrine was in our store for a book signing event. Listen to this hour long program as a podcast on http://www.hometownstation.com